The Hartlepool United players will leave the north east in the early hours of Friday morning ahead of an eight hour trip to Torquay – and Liam Noble is looking forward to it.

Hartlepool United's Liam Noble celebrates after scoring their 4th goal during the Vanarama National League match between Hartlepool United and Wrexham at Victoria Park, Hartlepool on Monday 26th August 2019. (Credit: Mark Fletcher | MI News & Sport Ltd)

The Pools midfielder netted a brace and grabbed an assist in Monday’s 4-2 win over Wrexham and will be hoping to help Pools push on at Plainmoor when they face a Gulls side who sit just three points above them in the National League table.

On the pitch, not much separates Hartlepool and Torquay with both sides scoring and conceding plenty in their opening seven games. But off the pitch, there’s roughly a 400 mile sized gap between the two fifth tier clubs.

As Craig Hignett’s side prepare themselves for the long journey to the English Riviera, Noble confessed that the long hours spent on the team bus are something he looks forward to.

“We’ve got a lot of travelling but that’s good because you’re with the lads all the time and it’s good crack on the bus and that to be fair,” he said.

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“It gets you away from the missus as well and we’re a tight group!”

The 28-year-old also recognised that the journeys on the coach could soon turn sour if the atmosphere amongst the players wasn’t as strong as it is.

“If you’re not a tight group with all the journeys we have, it’s not a good place to be around,” he added.

“When you’re a close group as we are this season, the long journeys are something I’m actually looking forward to.”

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